Rutherford County Jail

JM: How long was your sentencing for?KENNY: 120 days / split sentence 30 days active, suspended sentence 2
years probation in the holding cell I was by my self. But the last
time I was in there (date ? Oct or Nov 2008. I was in with three
others inmates. An officer assaulted and maced a young guy,
directly is his left eye. for no cause and attempted to beat him,
unsuccessfully. The guy just wanted him to make a call to a
detective for him at the detectives request upon his arrival from
Polk co. Jail to Rutherford co. Jail. The officer ended up with
injuries. When other officers ran in a guard choked an innocent
man trying to pull the young guy off Officer P. I hollared wrong
guy then he let go and grabbed the young guy along with two
officers. They beat him from the time they got him out of the
cell till they were out of my view. They beat the young guy very
badly broke ribs and charged him with a few charges I heard
from the young guy on May 1. He was back in there when I went
in on May first.

JM: Did you spend time in a holding cell after your sentencing? If so, what was that like? If you didn't where did they they take you instead?KENNY: It's in the above block.

If you or someone you know is headed to Rutherford County Jail you
may be wondering what to expect. Going to jail can be scary,
especially if this is your first time. Having the right information
can help you feel more prepared for the experience.

We have interviewed former inmates of Rutherford County, who have
shared what they know about day to day life in this facility. You
can read their interviews by clicking on the links to the left. Take
a few minutes to read their stories and find out what life is really
like in the Rutherford County Jail.

Food
Rutherford County provides three meals per day to inmates. The food
is rated as mediocre, with the biggest complaint being that the
portions are very small. The jail does have a canteen that inmates
with money on their books can order snacks from to supplement the
food the jail supplies.

If you have the option to have money on your books, it is highly
recommended by former inmates. One commented that it was hard to
sleep due to hunger when eating only what the jail provides to
inmates.

Visitation and Telephones
Keeping in touch with friends and family on the outside is a high
priority for most people who are locked up. Rutherford County allows
inmates to have visitors come on the weekends. Visitors should be
aware that it takes a good 30-45 minutes to sign in, so it is
important to allow plenty of time.

Rutherford County also has pay phones available for inmate use. The
person on the outside has to buy a prepaid phone card for the call
to go through. Calls cost about $1.25 for 10 minutes, which is
pretty reasonable compared to the cost of making phone calls from
other jails. All calls are monitored by the jail.

Hot Water
One of the recurring complaints of former inmates of this jail is
that there is a lack of hot water for showering, laundry and
preparing soups from the Canteen. One inmate commented that the
inmates usually suffer from body odor due to the lack of hot water
for showers and the low quality deodorant that is issued by the
jail.